


I'd do anything

by black_norse



Series: The Weight Of Their Worlds (Dekesy Trilogy) [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst but..., Angst with a little bit of fluff (sorry?), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Happy ending or bad ending?, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Many blood, Multi, Recovery, Torture, Very very severe injury, tied up, warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:22:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27437278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_norse/pseuds/black_norse
Summary: Bobo and Nana are lost somewhere. He wants to find and save them, but he can't. He'd risked his life for them.
Relationships: Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Deke Shaw & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Deke Shaw, Leo Fitz & Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: The Weight Of Their Worlds (Dekesy Trilogy) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149158
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34
Collections: Angst War 2020





	I'd do anything

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who am I. Well, it's obvious. You knew already. Aha!!
> 
> Also, enjoy reading. Feel free to leave comments. I'm not sure if I could make you cry, Kat, lmao so yeah still enjoy.
> 
> <333

Deke was very deeply asleep, but not pleasantly so. He was used to the soft cushions and fabrics on his bunk bed, that were the softest things he ever lied down in his life. If he was abducted, he could be lying down on the ground or touching his back on a wall when he's unconscious or tied in a chair. But he didn't at least feel something hard touching him or something to sit on. His feet touched the ground as he moved it. When he slowly opened his eyes, all he saw was a blur of brown, his vision still blurry.

"Ouch..." he moaned, feeling intense pain. The killer headache was getting worse, making him dizzier but waking him up. That dull pain he felt around his body as a result from what happened earlier. He blinked many times to clear his vision and now he sees it, he sees dirt. He could feel the burning sensation from his hands as he felt something gripping hard on them, and the itch of a liquid crawling down his forehead wasn't just sweat. He couldn't see it but he knew it was blood because of the throbbing pain surrounding that area. He opened his eyes as wide as he could and moved his head up, looking straight ahead. He’s in a gray room without windows, just a gray metal door. Definitely not the Lighthouse, because why would the team do this to him?

He tried to remember what happened before this…they were on a mission. The sun was up high the last he remembered. He was holding a gun while walking as gently as possible so that no one would hear him looking for FitzSimmons. Not being able to find them would mean not only failing the mission but also failing himself. He can’t let Malick do something worse to his grandparents, especially Jemma, she’s the only one who accepted him when the rest of the team couldn’t. When he turned around, something very hard hit him, rendering him unconscious.

He wakes up to being tied up and hung on the rafters. He didn’t mind the physical pain he’s feeling, what’s more painful is that he failed to save them. He thought Fitz would like him more because what’s better than being saved by someone you hated? But now he’d be thankful because he'd been saved by Deke. But Deke couldn’t do that. He would’ve done everything to save them, but he was trapped. He didn’t get trained by Daisy just to get knocked out and tied up, unable to continue the fight.

Not long after, he heard some footsteps approaching. The door opened and he saw that face, the one he hated to see. Nathaniel Malick was smiling at him, watching him suffer at his hands.

“Hello grandson.” he greeted, walking towards him, widens his smile.

“Don’t call me that.” He said, giving Malick a threatening look. “Where are they?!!” he shouted loudly. “Why aren’t they here with me? I swear if you did something bad to them, I don’t know what I’ll ever do to you.”

“What will you do?” Nathaniel scoffed. “Kill me?” he chuckled, pressing into Deke’s jaw with his left hand. “No, you can’t do that.” he released his hand.

“You could’ve at least brought me to them.” Deke hissed.

“Why would I do that?” he moved his head closer, looking Deke in the eye. “No way you could get a reunion with them.”

_“Let us out of here!!”_

A faint male voice was heard from somewhere. He was so sure who it was so he called, “Bobo!!”

Deke moved and shook his body as hard as he could, hoping that the rope tying his hands would lose grip from the wood or that he would fall down the ground, kicking his legs to hurt Nathaniel but he moved further away, and he became so annoyed he grunted loudly.

“I want you to suffer alone!!” Malick barked, switching his jeering face into a more serious one. “You killed my father, you son of a bitch.”

“You deserve it.” Deke scoffed, giving him a mocking look.

Nathaniel punched him hard with his right hand, hard enough to nearly knock him out and drift to sleep again, making his headache worse. Then another punch landed on him which turned his head to the other side. If he wasn’t tied up, he could’ve touched the punched area. He doesn’t have enough time to think about that because Nathaniel punched him again and again like a punching bag. He can’t count how many punches there were, they’re too many. He could feel the blood pooling inside his mouth and it gets to be more and more every punch. So much blood that it begins to flood his mouth.

“How does it feel?” Nathaniel asked, touching his fists to ease the pain from punching. “Next time, don’t kil-”

Deke couldn’t speak with his mouth full of blood. He decided to spit on Nathaniel’s face with a sadistic laugh which stopped him from talking.

Nathaniel blinked a few times, wiping his bloody face.

“Maybe a punch is nothing for you, huh,” he snarled, becoming more furious as he looked at Deke all bloody yet still managing to pull a smile with his bloody teeth. He knows what’s more painful than a punch, and it’ll have so much pain that leer will wear off.

Deke’s mouth was still filled with blood as his swollen gums continue to bleed. He tried spitting what’s left on there, licking them would not be the best thing to do. It was just blood dripping which is better than still being beaten. The relief lasted only for a short while until he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his back, causing him to scream from the pain.

Every whip Nathaniel made on his back, he shouted loudly and swallowed. It was just a shout, no words. He could’ve asked for help but no one’s there. The pain gets worse and he soon starts to sob from it. As if that was all the torture he would experience, Nathaniel stopped and turned around and confronted him.

“Who’s laughing now, huh?”

He continued lashing on Deke’s abdomen, and his screams get louder and louder, more blood spouted from his mouth. Deke closed his eyes as he suffered the excruciating whipping, hoping this would be over. He lost strength and his sob gets quieter while the torture continues. His right hand slowly began to lose grip from the rope that tied him, the knot starts to get looser and looser and he takes note. The whipping finally stopped and he breathes a sigh of relief, secretly pulling his right hand from the knot until he has successfully broken free.

Nathaniel pulls a gun and points it at Deke’s temple. “You can’t get away from me,” Malick whispers, moving the gun to the wounded area of Deke’s head.

Deke closed his eyes again, expecting him to pull the trigger. He wants that to happen right now. He’s suffered enough and he wants to end it.

“Not now,” Nathaniel pulled the gun away from him and turns away, not looking back.

Deke had the chance to untie the knot from his left hand, as quickly as he could. Now, he’s the one gripping on the rope, thinking about how to sneak down quietly. Nathaniel walked further away from him, which meant he could drop loud as soon as he went away. But suddenly he dropped too quick even though Nathaniel hasn’t left the room causing the dirt to generate a loud thud, loud enough for Nathaniel to turn back again and look at him.

And now they’re face-to-face, Nathaniel’s pointing the gun at him. Deke froze for a moment, switching his eyes to the weapon, all he could think of is the words what Daisy always tells him before they start their kicks.

_“Take it easy, don’t overthink. It can stress you. Breathe, then move fast.”_

* * *

It was very cold, and they were lying down on the ground, a very unpleasant place to sleep. FitzSimmons didn’t care at all as long as they had each other and slept together. They were there for days. They were fed by Nathaniel and given enough supply of water for them to live in the small, enclosed space, a room with gray walls and an uncemented floor. They had waited for the team to arrive and save them, and they were still waiting. Maybe it’s too early to give up. The team would do everything to rescue them.

Fitz wrapped his arm around Jemma for comfort. “We’ll make it here. We’ve gone through a lot together, and we’ll make it through this.”

“I hope so.” Jemma spoke softly. “I hope they had our location. Poor Deke missing us for so long.”

It was just all quiet, a deafening silence around them…until…they heard a familiar voice and a scream of outrage.

_“Where are they?!!”_

Jemma stood up quickly and leaned her head against the wall, with her ear pressed, so that she could make sure if she was right.

_“Why aren’t they here with me? I swear if you did something bad to them, I don’t know what I'll ever do to you.”_

Turned out she was right. “Fitz, it’s Deke.” she started to panic; they were locked in a room and they couldn’t do anything for him. “Nathaniel is with him.”

“He’s coming to save us.” Fitz nudged Jemma’s shoulder giving him a confident smile. “He’s a fighter.”

“It’s not safe in here, Fitz.” Jemma sighed, putting her palm on her forehead. “How are we even sure if he can handle himself against Malick.”

She slid down the wall and sat on the ground again, worrying about their grandson. She promised to look after him. They promised to look after him. She’d be very sorry if something happens to him.

Fitz started kicking on the gray metal door, hoping he could do something to get free. “Let us out of here!!” he shouted.

His voice was so loud he received a faint reply from the other room.

_“Bobo!!”_

He hit the metal door as hard as he could, only stopping when his right hand swelled a bit. “There’s nothing we can do now.”

They stood still, and Simmons whimpered as they heard a wail from their grandson after a sound of a whip cracking. They could wait for Daisy to just quake that door or some team member to let them out if it weren’t for the noise coming from the other room. That loud sob turned into moans as the seconds passed by, wondering what happened to him.

“This is all too much.” Jemma shook her head a few times, covering her head with her hands. “I can’t take this anymore.” she sobbed on Fitz’s shoulder.

Fitz wrapped her in a tight hug, trying not to cry himself. Deke may be stubborn, but when it comes to situations like this, he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen. Even though he’s too hard on him, Deke doesn’t seem to mind that, he always babbles and messes around anyway which would be tiresome for Fitz to hear but right now all he heard from him is a helpless wail and it’s much worse than hearing him babble.

The whipping sound begins to fade out, and the sob becomes quieter. They sat down on the ground again, calming down now thinking Deke wasn’t being beaten anymore. They didn’t feel much terror after they were abducted, at least not until they heard him.

This time, it was the quietest they heard from the other room.

“What happened?” Fitz asked. “Why can’t we hear anything?” he heard Jemma’s gasps as she sniffles.

“I don’t know, Fitz. I don’t know.” she spoke in her airy voice. “What if we can make it but he can’t?”

“Don’t say that Jemma.”

They were trapped at the bottom of the ocean before, in a small containment pod, filled with their fright and agitation. Today was different, it was a bigger room, and they don’t feel sick or anything bad, just trapped. At least they’re still alive, they don’t have to worry much for now but the one in the other room suffered much worse.

“He shouldn’t be here. He should not suffer the way we did before.” Jemma leaned her head on the wall, closing her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat, feeling the nudge of Fitz beside her.

They didn’t know what would happen next. They didn’t expect much, but a few seconds passed by before the silence broke, they felt a hard hit on their hearts as they heard a loud gunshot from the other room.

Jemma immediately began to hyperventilate as tears started to fall from her. “Nooo.” she sobbed quietly, shaking her head twice, looking at Fitz with the same reaction. “This can’t be happening.”

They weren’t sure if the gunshot was aimed at him and they can’t stop worrying about it. The deafening noise of another three gunshots in a row made her heart pound uncontrollably. She doesn’t care what comes next, and neither does Fitz. It already happened.

A gunshot.

A gunshot.

A gunshot, the last of three.

Jemma and Fitz can’t do anything, trapped in a room, listening to that noise echoing. They didn’t see him getting shot, just heard gunshots. They can’t stop overthinking about it. They can’t speak, all they did was whimper. It was quiet once again. No gunshots heard, no shouts heard, just silence from the other room. Jemma’s head rests on Fitz’s shoulder, scratching her hair, slid through her face to wipe the tears. They stared on the gray wall for another minute, waiting for something to happen.

…

Then they heard another noise - an unusual noise. It’s not from the other room, it’s near them. It sounds like a creaking metal, maybe it’s the door.

They turned their heads and saw the gap of the two sliding metal doors slowly getting bigger, and a black space filled between them, a space getting bigger, until something appeared…a bloody hand. They were expecting some team member to rescue them, and yes, they’re right; they could hear his moan. And the gap of the doors gets bigger and now it’s fully opened. They saw Deke, soaked in red, his face full of bruises, his shirt full of red stains and some ripped parts from the lash, only a small portion of it was left white, the original color, covering his wound on his left chest, not new to him, except this time it’s bleeding faster, unable to cover his back wound on the other side. They couldn’t see much stain in his jeans, but it was very dark. He walked painfully slowly, and his eyes were blinking, trying to focus.

They were relieved to see him alive, but he’s very weak, bleeding fast. Fitz quickly stood up and ran to catch him as he fell on his hands. “Hang on, buddy.” Fitz said, his voice cracking as he put Deke down on the ground for him to lean on the wall.

“I don’t think I can hang on.” Deke spoke weakly, quietly sobbing. “I shot him in the head, twice.”

“That’s great.” Jemma tried to put on a smile in front of him. “We can esc-”

“No.” Deke grunted, trying to catch up his last breaths. “You can’t save me anymore. The bullet passed through my chest.” he added with his hoarse voice, swallowing a big lump on his throat, closing his eyes for a moment, napping through the pain.

“No, you can’t die.” Jemma shook his head, put her hands on his bloody cheeks. “No, don’t leave us.” she stroked his hair, her panicking became worse, looking around. “Fitz, he’s bleeding fast, we need something to cover both his wounds!!”

Fitz stood up quickly, froze for a moment deciding which direction he should go. He wasn’t that sure if Malick was really shot which adds to his paranoia but he has no choice, he had to find some fabrics to cover without taking his clothes. Jemma was left there in the room with Deke who’s having a hard time opening his eyes.

“You don’t have to save me.” he croaked out, raising his unwounded right arm, nudging Jemma’s cheek, giving her a half-smile. “I’m glad we get to spent time together, not just days, weeks, a very long time.” his eyes shut. “It would be a miracle if I’d still be alive after this.”

“Yes, you’ll be alive, okay?” Jemma holds his wrist, feeling his pulse getting slower and weaker, having a hard time to accept his fate. “And I’m still hoping you’ll make it, but if no one arrives…” she stopped talking and couldn’t continue as she chokes with her tears, wiping it.

Jemma grabbed him for a hug, letting out a sob.

Not long after, running footsteps were heard outside, rushing towards them. “We got to move quick. Now!!” Daisy was there, holding a sweater. She bent down and reached to Deke covering his gunshot wound. “Malick did this to him?” she furiously asked.

“Daisy,” he called her weakly, trying hard to extend his eyes but he can’t anymore, gasping for breaths.

“We’ll get you out of here.” tears start to fall down from Daisy’s eye, but she’s wiping it up immediately. “Don’t you ever tell you’re not gonna make it, just don’t.”

“We don’t have much time, let’s bring him back to the Zephyr now,” she lifts his arm, Jemma does the same. They both stood up to bring his unconscious body as they walked, feeling the heavy weight of him.

His feet dragged on the ground as they tried to walk properly and carried his arms. Blood still dripped down there and every drop was a foot away. He slowly awakened from the pain he’s feeling, tried to scream but he’s too weak. It would have been better if they left him lying on the ground, resting peacefully, but they didn’t give up for him, so he can’t too.

“We’re getting near.”

The glare of the sun hit him, turning his black vision into dark red. The voices he heard right now are slowly getting distorted. That deep voice he heard, gets deeper and deeper.

“Mack.”

“Give him to me, I’ll carry him. D, hold up. We’re almost there.”

He felt someone’s arms under his neck and his knees, feeling more comfortable than his position before, but felt like he was going to fall out because of the fast movement. Time passes by but he’s not sure how much, he can’t hear anything except white noise, he’s not seeing anything but blackness, just like a newborn baby.

_“Mom, what are we gonna name him?”_

_“Deke.”_

_“That’s a weird name.”_

_“No, that’s…that’s a good name.”_

_“He’s crying. Shhh…shhh…Bobo’s here.”_

_“He’s a gift from heaven.”_

_“Indeed.”_

* * *

“Faster!! We’re running out of time!!”

He was now lying on a hospital bed, an oxygen mask on his face, shirt torn, covered with a blanket now also soaked in red. So near yet still far away, even though they’re already on the Lighthouse. They moved faster, ran faster, the squeaking of the bed wheels was very loud, but they kept moving.

They were all wide awake and aware while Deke was very asleep on his comfortable bed while slowly bleeding, chilled but not shivering anymore. He doesn’t mind what’s going on, he doesn’t know anymore.

“We can’t lose him.” Jemma whimpered, resisting the shaking of her shoulders as they approach to the emergency room. Everyone was in hysterics, terrified of losing a team member, and it isn’t because he’s leaving, it’s because he’s holding on between life and death, and that’s much worse.

“Gunshot wound to the upper back, exit wound on the chest!!”

She became more frightened when she couldn’t feel a single pulse. “Defibrillator, please!!”

She quickly grabbed the paddles and applied them to his padded chest. “Clear!!”

The monitor generated a piercing, continuous noise, loud and clear. She was in denial, but she knew that wasn’t the end yet. “Clear!!”

He could feel the electric surge travel from his chest throughout his body, but still it was just a nap for Deke, just a dream, a very horrible dream. But that dream will be over soon. A sleep can’t have only one dream.

* * *

_“Happy birthday to you!!” the crowd chanted aloud. Clapping their hands._

_“Here’s an orange for you!!”_

_“Thanks, mom!!” the little boy gave a warm smile. “Nana, Bobo!!” he ran over and gave his grandparents a hug._

_“Oh dear, you’re a big boy now!!” the old lady rubbed the little boy’s head._

_“Shhh…” the old man hissed, putting his index finger on his mouth. “Don’t be too loud, or else, the blues will get you.”_

_“Scary Bobo.” the little boy giggled, it was a very cute and charming giggle, and they can’t resist it._

* * *

_The little boy is sitting in front of red flowers, and a bunch of lemons, lit candles, and pictures of an old man and an old woman who he always called “Nana” and “Bobo”._

_“My days have been incomplete since you two left us.” the boy wiped his left eye as tears soon to fall. “I don’t wanna prank anymore, you left me Bobo.”_

_He felt a rub on his back, which gives him a little bit of comfort. Then it turned into a hug. “Deke, it’s okay. They’re gonna be in a better place.”_

_“Better place?” he muttered._

_“Yeah, a better place where the blues won’t bother them.” the woman spoke softly, lifting the little boy up in the air. “Time for bed.”_

_“Do we go there too?” the boy asked curiously. “The better place.”_

_“Yes.” she nodded her head._ _“The time will come. We’ll see your Nana and Bobo there.”_

* * *

_“If we address the quantum targeting…”_

_“That's a backup parameter.” Deke interrupted. “Why would we waste our time tweaking redundant systems?”_

_Fitz sighed in annoyance. “Well, you would know all about redundant systems.” he murmured, soft enough for Deke not to hear him._

_“I heard that!” Deke hissed, looking away from the jump drive he’s working on._

_“Please, you two…” Jemma muttered, begging for them to stop arguing, it’s been going on for minutes._

_“This whole ridiculous company is a redundancy.” Fitz said, loud enough for other people in the room to hear him. “You're not a genius. You're a hack.” he insulted. They both moved away from the work table, confronted each other. “And no B.S. Foundation can hide...”_

_“D.S.F.B.F.F.” Deke corrected, made his voice loud and clear._

_“No B.S. Foundation can hide the fact that you built this company not to advance science but to get rich!”_

_“I built this company because no one liked me!!” Deke yelled, breathing heavily as he let his rage out, tears are about to burst. The room went silent, even his co-workers from his company looked at him._

_Fitz didn’t reply, putting his hands on his waist, seeing Deke’s very serious look, a look he didn’t expect to see. He began to feel a little bit of guilt._

_Jemma looked at the two as the small argument turned into a fight. “Deke, he didn't mean t-“_

_“Yes, he did.” Deke interrupted, looking at Fitz who haven’t spoken or made some movements after he yelled. He went back to the jump drive to fix it while ranting. “I built it because I've never belonged anywhere, because the place that I'm from doesn't even exist anymore and because all of my friends are gone.”_

_“And the woman that I gave lemons to thinks that I'm a loser, so I went out into the world to try and be what everybody wants me to be, and she still thinks that I'm nothing!” he swallowed deeply, feeling a pang of regret in his heart._

_He faced them again, his rage growing bigger, facing the ground as he continued talking._

_“And... And my best friend turned out to be a spy, and... and my girlfriend turned out to be a psychopath-”_

_“Snowflake was not good for you.” Jemma interrupted, pointing her hand, showing disapproval._

_“I was talking about Sequoia.” Deke’s voice began to crack. “Oh. I mean, the family that I do have, wants nothing to do with me.”_

_“Deke, we care about you. We do.” Jemma spoke softly, walked towards Deke try to comfort him but he spoke again, walking further away from her._

_“No, you say that and you try to be nice, but you didn't even want me to know that Fitz died.”_

_“I wanted to spare you the pain.”_

_“But I could've shared that with you.” his voice gets softer as he choked with his tears. “I could've helped.”_

_“Even my own grandparents think I'm a joke.” he shook his head, walked to his worktable to grab some cuffs, applied one on his wrist. He grabbed the jump drive, felt the heavy weight of it when he carried it. “I survived an apocalyptic hellscape...” he grunted angrily._

_Fitzsimmons started protesting._

_“Deke.”_

_“Wait, hang on.”_

_“Okay, let's not...”_

_Deke looked at the picture of lemons hung on the wall one more time before looking back at his grandparents, his co-workers before he vanishes right in front of them. “…so what do I have to do to get a little respect around here?”_

_“Deke, don't even think about...”_

_“No, no.”_

_They tried to stop him, they convinced hard, but he still pressed the button and disappeared._

* * *

_Deke is busy typing on the computer, he yawned loudly but continued typing. He looks like he’s in a rush today. His eyes can tell that he just woke up, and he hasn’t gotten enough sleep. He was the only one in the lab, until he heard a voice._

_“What are you doing up?”_

_He stopped typing and looked over the door, and saw Daisy stopping by the door frame. “Oh, good morning, S.O.” he greeted. “Same question.”_

_“Just grabbing some morning coffee.” she answered, walking towards the beverage section. “You?”_

_“Working on something,” he responded. “Sorry about that punch last night.”_

_“Pfttt…” Daisy snickered. “Come on, it’s like that. Very normal for combat training.” she stirred her mug with a spoon, the sound of it chugging against the side of the mug getting louder. “May I sit here with you?”_

_“Oh, sure.” he nodded his head, she sat beside him, looking at the computer. “Is that…a love letter…for Fitz?” she narrowed her eyes, looking confused._

_“Sorta.” he responded, shrugging her shoulders. “I have a secret to tell you.”_

_“What?”_

_He looked around, making sure nobody hears them. “I pranked him. I put whipped cream in his face.”_

_“Good luck with that.” she chuckled lightly. “You’ll be so dead..”_

_A few seconds passed by and they heard someone arguing outside, and that noise gets louder as they come nearer._

_“I swear Fitz I didn’t do that.”_

_“Don’t lie to me, Jemma!!”_

_“I said I didn’t!!”_

_FitzSimmons stopped walking as they arrived on the lab, looking at the two._

_“Wh- what are you looking at?” Daisy asked, giving him a ridiculous look._

_“Yeah, we didn’t do it.” Deke shook his head. “I would never…ever put whipped cream on you…oops.”_

_He stopped talking, realizing Fitz doesn’t have cream on his face anymore. He was speechless, trying what to say next after he slipped._

_“We didn’t mention that,” Jemma said, putting her index finger below her chin. “How’d you know?”_

_“Because he did it.” Fitz hissed, giving Deke a serious look, walking towards him._

_Deke slowly put his hands away from the keyboard, jumped out from his high-end chair, walking further, looking innocent._

_“Haha, Bobo.” he began to run around the tables as Fitz started chasing him._

_“I’m gonna kill you!!”_

_Jemma slid her palm up her face. “Ugh…not again.”_

* * *

_“Happy birthday to you!!”_

_Everyone is clapping, cheering, chanting, he can’t take off his smile even if he wanted to. “You did all of this?” Deke eagerly asked. “This is great, guys!!”_

_He quickly blew all the candles on the birthday cake in front of him. Tears start to fall from his eyes, joy overflowing on him._

_“What’s wrong, Deke?” Jemma asked, fixing her gaze at him._

_“It’s just…” he sniffled, looking at the cake. “This is the first time I got a birthday cake on my birthday, aside from oranges and lemons.”_

_“It’s our idea.” Fitz said, shrugging his shoulders, giving a shy look. “Do you like it?”_

_Deke gave his grandparents a tight hug. “You guys are the best!! Really!!”_

* * *

It was a long dream, and it felt like those events happened to him again. A mix of happy and sad dreams, which faded as time passed by, he soon began to hear and feel something real, instead of the distorted voices. The sound of air, the coolness of the place he’s lying down, the gas coming inside through his nose, a small bandage on his head. Still, that dull pain he felt is still there, less painful but it still disturbing him, like he had a nightmare again, feeling like a paralyzed man needing help. He soon began to sob from the pain and fear, his eyes flutter open to a white blurry vision. “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” Every time he takes a breath, that dull pain in his chest gets worse. A few seconds later, he felt a soothing touch on his forehead, calming him down a bit.

“It’s okay, we’re here now,” said a familiar voice.

His vision starts to get clearer, blurry figures taking shape, he saw Jemma, smiling big. His sobs turned into sniffles, but he wasn’t in the state of talking to them yet.

“I’m sorry we didn’t put you on a high dose of meds. We could put more to ease the pain. Fitz is gonna do that for you.”

Jemma touched his left hand for comfort, he soon began to feel calmer, the pain got weaker, and he feels drowsier than earlier, stopping his sobs, his eyes are now half-open, about to fall asleep but someone’s talking. She wiped his tears with her thumb.

“Thank goodness, you’re awake now.” Jemma spoke softly, sitting beside his bed. “You were asleep for three days. Good thing, the bullet didn’t hit your lung, but your rib was broken.”

“How are you feeling?” Fitz asked, sitting on the other side.

“Am I alive? Wait, I broke my rib and slept for three days?” Deke asked, looking at the two, blinking his eyes a few times to make sure if he’s seeing what he’s seeing correctly. “This is not a dream? Because I had a lot of dreams.”

“Yes, very alive.” Jemma responded. “Well, you died for three minutes, then we revived you.”

He would be very shocked to hear that, as a normal reaction, but he’s not in a mood to react; he’s sedated. “Three minutes?” he sighed. “Damn,” he said as he rolled his head over his pillow.

“Guess who donated one pint of blood for you.” Fitz said, showing his small bandage on his right arm.

“You…donated blood for me?” Deke muttered. “Sweet.”

“It’s just one pint.” Fitz shrugged his shoulders. “And also, I’m sorry for being hard on you,” he cracked.

“Heyyy.” Deke beamed at him, about to chuckle if it wasn’t for his injury. “Don’t be sorry. I have no problem with you being hard on me. That’s normal, you’re grumpy. I mean, that’s normal for you to be like that, right?” then he had the urge to laugh, but he felt a bit of pain. “Ouch.”

“Don’t move.” Jemma warned. “Your rib hasn’t fully-healed yet. Give it weeks.”

“I can wait.” Deke groaned. “I’m very lucky my grandma’s a doctor, and my grandpa is…grumpy.”

“Whatever.” Fitz rolled his eyes. “We’re still mad at you.”

“Mad?” Deke raised his tone. “Mad at what?”

“For disobeying Daisy’s orders. She’s very mad at you, too.” Jemma said in a serious tone. “You ran away without consent and went to Malick’s base alone, then look what happened to you. That was reckless back there.”

“Okay, I did that because maybe I could save you two.” he swallowed. “You mean a lot to me and I don’t want something bad to happen to you.”

“I know.” Jemma said. “But that doesn’t give you an excuse to risk your life there.”

“Yeah.” Fitz hissed, before biting his lip. “And say you can’t hang on a bit longer.”

“I thought I was gonna die that time," he sighed heavily, remembering what happened to him before, it was awful. “Here I am, in a bed, awake and driven crazy by these meds.”

Fitz looked at his watch. “Oh, we can’t stay a bit longer here, it’s 3 in the morning. FYI, we haven’t slept properly thinking about you, and I’m about to pass out now.”

“Oh.” Deke muttered. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“No, it’s okay.” Jemma smiled at him. “We could stay here if you want.”

“Uh-uh.” Deke shook his head. “No way, you’re too exhausted. I’m okay in here. I could just sleep it off till these meds wear off.”

“I can look after him.” Daisy’s voice was heard somewhere, she was on the doorframe, holding the doorknob as she entered. “Don’t worry about me, I had a great sleep tonight.”

“Oh, Daisy.” Jemma looked at her. “Didn’t know you were there the whole time. Of course, you can look after him. Thanks.” she grinned lightly.

“No problem.”

FitzSimmons stood up and walked away through the door, taking a peek of their grandchild who’s still looking at them. “Have a good sleep, Deke.” Jemma said.

“You too.” he replied before the two went outside, closed the door. Daisy grabbed a chair and sat beside him.

“Let me guess, you lied about that great sleep you said, earlier, huh?” he asked, seeing her tired eyes blinking many times.

“Busted.” Daisy snickered, crossing her legs.

“So, are you gonna lecture me or what?” he grunted, his voice getting weaker. “Nana said you’re very mad at me.”

“Yeah.” she responded. “But we’re gonna deal with that later, in the next few days, when you’re not lying on the bed and very high on drugs.”

“Not really very. Just the right amount. Enough for me to not freak out and not too strong for me to say stupid things in front of you.”

“Stupid things?” Daisy scoffed. “Really?”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Deke clicked his tongue. “Why did you decide to look after me, stay here?”

“Because…everyone’s asleep and I’m the only one awake.” Daisy responded. “And as your S.O., it’s my duty to look after you.”

“Mmm…” he grunted. “Okay,” he blinked many times, seeing some dark circles dancing in front of him until his eyes closed completely. “Anyway, I’m about to fall asleep here, I’m feeling cloudy right now.”

“Sleep tight.”

Then he rolled his head, fell asleep with ease, less pain and more comfortable breathing. Last thing he felt was a gentle touch on his forehead and a smooth stroke through his hair.


End file.
